No Peace for the Damned

dishes in the cabinet. Soon everything not nailed down would be trembling as I held back my power.
    Thirteen watched me, confused. Banks moved into a defensive position at his side.
    “You’ve already demonstrated the power of your family,” Thirteen said cautiously. “Training would simply be a matter of more demonstrations.”
    “Bullshit!” I shouted. “You don’t want another demonstration! You want me to teach them how to kill someone with
my
powers. You want me to give them the tools to go after
me
!”
    Thirteen’s face drained of all color. “No, Magnolia, no!” He reached out his hand to me and I jumped from my seat. Banks moved quickly, blocking me from Thirteen.
    “Was this your plan all along, Thirteen?” I spat at him, my body aching. “Gain my confidence, get me to train your people, then, when I’d given you everything you needed, have them turn on me? Well, sorry to spoil your agenda, but if my father couldn’t kill me after twenty-two years of trying, your pissant team of nobodies sure as hell won’t be able to!”
    “Magnolia, no…” Thirteen stood in front of me, pain plain on his face. I had to get out of there. I turned to leave the kitchen, but Banks blocked my exit.
    “Get the fuck out of my way!” I shouted at him. Without hesitation, he scrambled to the side. His mind struggled not to obey my command, but it was pointless. I was too pissed to be subtle.
    I maneuvered my way through the slew of kitchen chairs and around the corner to the bathroom. No one else tried to stop me. I latched the bathroom door and hugged myself against the sink. It was like my chest had been ripped open.
God, why did this hurt so much?
I turned and gripped the sides of the small pedestal sink and stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes started to burn.
    Do not cry. Don’t you dare cry about this
.
    I pictured Thirteen’s face, the genuine pain that my words had caused him. Damn it, why couldn’t he just be the callous bastard I wanted him to be right now? Why did he have to have such good intentions? It had never been his plan for his team to turn on me; I knew that. It was just—he chose me. He’d kept me safe, kept me secret, taught me how to live in the real world. He was supposed to care more about what I wanted than what was best for his stupid Network.
    I wiped my face and took several deep breaths.
    I wouldn’t do it. Decision made, end of discussion. We’d agreed on my giving information. That was it. I was free now. No more torture sessions, no more hiding in shadows. I would not risk that freedom by teaching these people how to hurt me. Because no matter how sincere Thirteen’s intentions were, his team would turn on me. I knew it without a doubt.
    A knock on the bathroom door startled me. Boy, someone sure had balls.
    “What?”
    There was no answer.
What the hell!
I yanked the bathroom door open and froze.
    Theo stood inches away, towering over me with his hands braced on either side of the doorframe. His face was dark, his hair falling over his eyes. My heart stopped beating for a few seconds. My breath caught the moment his scent filled my lungs.
    His thoughts were in chaos—and so loud I couldn’t have blocked them if I tried. He was drawn to me. A compulsion. Just like the pull I felt for him. And just like I’d been so sure that he’d done something to cause this pull, he was certain I had done something to him. That strange, warm place inside of me trembled, then grew. Against my will, I calmed down. My breathing steadied, my heart rate slowed. My rage at Thirteen lightened to a manageable pissed off. There was no motive behind Theo’s presence here. He just
had
to be where I was. And I just
had
to have him here.
    “You’re not going to help us, are you?”
    I jumped. Heather appeared from the hallway, breaking through our silent moment. Theo didn’t move. I had to duck down to see her from under his arm.
    “I’ve already helped you,” I said coldly.
    Theo’s breath turned ragged over me. Ducking had moved me closer to him, and suddenly I had to be closer still. It was like a magnetic pull, stronger than anything I had ever experienced. The force of it put my family’s energies to shame.
    And it scared the crap out of me.
    I leaped back in a flash, putting my back against the bathroom wall. Unfortunately, the bathroom was so tiny I was still only a few feet from the door. Heather peered at me from under Theo’s arm. Her empathetic impulses alerted her to